Arrivals & Departures - 10th May

Following the earlier announcement of the retirement of Neil White, Finchampstead FC have appointed Steve Cox as first team manager with Jon Laugharne as assistant manager. Terry Brazier has been appointed as the club coach. The trio have been promoted from the club’s reserve team. Messrs Cox and Brazier had previously held reserve team management roles at Ascot United before moving to Finchampstead FC last July.

The club’s president Richard Whitchurch-Bennett has announced that he will be stepping down from all duties at the Annual General Meeting on June 17th. Since joining the club in the 1987/88 season he has held almost every management committee role. He said “I have thoroughly enjoyed my past 20 plus years helping to run the club behind the scenes and have been privileged to have worked alongside many very committed people, not least our patron Beryl White and fellow patron, past chairman and long serving committee member Colin Dix, plus of course the highly successful team managers Bob Langridge, Steve McClurg and Neil White. Both on and off the field everyone has strived hard to take the club forward from its park football beginnings into the National League System status it now enjoys in the Hellenic Football League. I am looking forward to being able to spend more time on my other interests, and also to enjoy my football without the huge time commitment that is involved in my various current roles at the club."

Richard continued. "Steve, Jon and Terry’s appointment brings with it the start of a new era for the club and an appropriate time for me to make an exit. I wish them the best of luck and every success for the future. Finchampstead will always be close to my heart and I look forward to seeing continued success in the 2010/11 season and beyond for all levels at the club.”

White Calling Time - 13th April

Finchampstead manager Neil White has announced his decision to step down from the position at the end of the season, so ending twenty years of team management at the club.

Neil began his highly successful team management role with Finchampstead Youth FC in 1990, starting by managing the youngest age group and moving up an age group each year to eventually become manager of the Under 18 team. Many youth football honours were won along the way. This was followed by a spell managing the Finchampstead Athletic FC first team on a Sunday, before becoming Finchampstead FC’s reserve team manager. He took over as the club’s first team manager for the 2007/08 season.

Club president Richard Whitchurch-Bennett said “It speaks volumes for Neil’s management style and personality that several of today’s first team squad players have remained loyal to him throughout their playing days, moving with him through junior football into senior football. He has unstintingly put in a tremendous amount of hard work over the years and will be greatly missed. Fortunately his links with the club continue as he plans to be on the touchline as a supporter on match days”. The club’s management committee will now be looking to appoint a first team manager to ensure that everything is in place for the pre-season work in readiness for the 2010/11 season.

Fortunes Changed - 9th April

Finchampstead ended a run of eight league games without a win - and what a way to do it. They stunned local rivals and promotion-chasing Wokingham Emmbrook by beating them 2-1 at Cantley Park in a hotly contested derby to secure only their second victory in 2010.

While the result is unlikely to cause any permanent damage to Wokingham's promotion push, it was a massive boost to Finch's bid to pull away from trouble in Hellenic League Division One East. Jubilant White beamed: "We're over the moon, it's been a long time coming.nWe had won one game since Christmas and had nothing to cheer so the manner of the win over our rivals was great for everyone. If we keep playing like that every week we could finish much higher up the table. It's been mostly a disappointing season. We started it well then had a terrible middle period when we couldn't win. But this gives us a little bit of light at the end of it so let's hope this victory can spur us on. It would be nice to finish on a high because you feel the season hasn't be wasted."

The clash was due to take place at Larges Lane but a waterlogged surface saw it shifted to Cantley.

Finch entertain Chalfont Wasps at Memorial Park this tomorrow then travel to Woodley Town next Wednesday.

Manager Demands More - 13th March

Neil White accused his Finchampstead side of underestimating Newbury after they slipped to a disappointing 2-1 home defeat on Saturday. Finch were arguably unlucky not to snatch at least a point from the clash, after being denied by the woodwork four times during the course of the game.

But another reverse leaves White's men just five places from the bottom of Division One (East) after an horrendous run that has seen them record just one win in their last 12 league games. Things don't get any easier for the villagers as they face a trip to table-toppers Thame United today.

White admits he is hoping that a clash against one of the division's leading sides will inspire his players to a better display this afternoon. He said: "I'm probably shooting myself in the foot saying this, but in the past we have always tended to do better against the sides above us in the table. I think we can get a bit blasé against the teams below us in the league and I think that happened again on Saturday.I told the boys afterwards that no-one is going to let you win a game, you have to earn that right and be competitive and at times I don't think we did compete. You just have to hope the guys learn from that, although I guess if you look at the table there aren't that many teams below us now."

Let's Finish On A High - 19th February

Finchampstead boss Neil White has admitted his team's season is "on a knife edge" as they enter a crucial phase of their Hellenic League campaign.

Finch currently sit just below mid-table in Division One (East) and know that the next few results will define their season. A run of victories will see them battling it out for a top six finish, while a series of defeats could see them dragged into the relegation scrap at the foot of the table.

Finch's inconsistent campaign continued last weekend as they went down 2-1 at home to Milton United and White is looking for an immediate response at Kintbury Rangers this Saturday. He said: "Our season is so finely poised at the moment. It's such a tough league and it could go either way so it's important we put a run together. Last weekend was our first defeat since the New Year so we're not a million miles away but we need to get something out of this Saturday's game. Kintbury are in a similar position to us so it will be a close call but we want to be looking up the table rather than over our shoulder."

Bobby Hogg is the major doubt ahead of the weekend as he struggles to overcome ankle and knee injuries, while Scott Bursill faces a late fitness test on the strained hamstring which forced him to limp out of the Milton game. On the plus side, both Dean Thomas, who played the last 10 minutes against Milton, and Bob Yorke-Goldney are both returning to full fitness after long injury lay-offs.

Six Pointer - 22nd January

Neil White believes his Finchampstead side face a 'six-pointer' on their long-awaited return to action this weekend. Finch have not played for six weeks since the 2-1 defeat at local rivals Wokingham & Emmbrook on December 12, as the big freeze saw the Hellenic League programme grind to a standstill.

Though hopes are high that the Memorial Park pitch will be ready for the visit of Farnborough Reserves on Saturday.
With their visitors sitting just one place ahead of Finch in the Division One (East) table, despite having the same points tally and goal difference as their hosts, White knows it is vital his side come flying out of the blocks in the second half of the season.

He said: "I would be upset if we didn't get anything out of the game because it's a bit of a six-pointer. We have got games in hands over them and some of the other teams around us so it would be nice if we could pull away from them and start looking up the table. The thing you worry about is the fact they are a reserve team and it means you never quite know what you are going to get. If they have got a couple of first teamers coming back from injury in vital positions like goalkeeper or centre forward, it can make all the difference to the game."

White is expecting Rob Yorke-Goldney to be his only absentee for the weekend's clash, with Dean Thomas nearing full fitness again after breaking a bone in his foot in the Wokingham game. Despite that injury Thomas has missed no games in his spell on the sidelines due to the snowy conditions. Whilst many pitches across the Hellenic League have been left waterlogged as the snow thaws, White is confident that the excellent playing surface at Finch should be ready for the weekend. He said: "The only patch that might be a problem is the goalmouth towards the road, which doesn't get much sun.
But because the pitch is part of the outfield for the cricket ground it tends to drain well and is usually in good nick. Anyway even if our pitch was ready, the fact that we still have to play them home and away should mean that common sense would prevail and the game gets played one way or the other."

White's men were able to shake off some of the rust that had built up over a month without football, by getting a runout in a hastily arranged friendly against Combined Counties Division One side Feltham last weekend. It provided some much-needed action before the return to league duty for the villagers, who had not even kicked a ball since the Wokingham defeat. White explained: "One of our old players Steve Potter, who is now involved with Feltham rang me up out of the blue last Thursday to see if we fancied a runout on an astro surface in South London. We sorted it all out, and then at the last minute, because everything thawed so quickly we were actually able to get out on the grass on the second pitch at Bedfont. It was good to finally get a game of football played and we scored a couple of nice goals. The only problem was the officials they had got in were terrible, and with about five minutes to go we agreed to knock it on the head when we were 4-3 down. But it was very useful to get a runout like that - an unexpected bonus."

Fixture Concerns - 8th January

Neil White admits he is concerned about the possible fixture pile-up that could ruin the end of his Finchampstead side's season.
A frozen pitch at the Memorial Park unsurprisingly saw last Saturday's home clash with Eton Wick added to the long list of recent postponements.

And with this weekend's scheduled game against Kintbury Rangers also unable to beat the big freeze, it means that Finch will move into mid-January still yet to reach the midway point of their season. With their home ground giving priority to cricket, Finch are unable to play floodlit games at home. That means that any midweek games cannot be played until the lighter evenings of April.

A similar cold snap affected the Hellenic League in February and led to Finch having to play their last six league games in the space of 14 days. White admits the wintry blast has left him fearing a case of deja vu after Easter this year. He said: "You do start to get concerned now about the fixture congestion at the end of the season. We had to play six games in a couple of weeks last year, and it is going the same way this season. What you have to appreciate is that the players all have to go to work, so when the 6.30pm kick-offs start to come around in April availability can be a real problem. It might be the case that some of the guys can get off work early one night, but when you're asking them to do that four times in a couple of weeks then it becomes very difficult. Teams with big squads and a good Allied Counties set-up can maybe cope with that situation better than a village club like us."

If the icy weather does relent, Finch face an enticing run of fixtures as they try to get their season back on track. Successive home clashes with Kintbury, Chinnor and Farnborough Res - who all occupy the bottom half of the table along with Finch provided the villagers with the ideal opportunity to secure a first league win since mid-September. Injuries to Bob Yorke-Goldney and Dean Thomas look set to keep them out for that period.

But despite that double blow, White admitted: "It doesn't look like the game will be on, but if it is, Kintbury are not in the best position and we would be hoping to secure a scrappy win of some kind. We have not been able to do anything since the Wokingham game at the start of December. But we all met up on Saturday in the absence of a game, and spoke about our position and what we want to get out of the year. Without looking at the fixture list, I can't remember our last win - it's certainly been too long. But everyone knows we need to start getting some points on the board and moving up that tight middle section of the table."

Christmas Wish - 25th December

Neil White is desperate to see his Finchampstead side get back on the pitch and rediscover their early season form.

Finch's derby clash at Woodley fell victim to last weekend's whiteout along with the rest of the local football programme. White's men have been hit particularly hard by the poor weather, with their last two training sessions at Sandhurst Town's Bottom Meadow also called off, meaning the squad have not kicked a ball in anger since the 2-1 defeat to Wokingham & Emmbrook two weeks ago.

Boxing Day's clash with Farnborough Reserves at Bisley is also in doubt. And coming on the back of five games without a win, White (pictured) admits the enforced break has arrived at exactly the wrong time as he looks to reverse his side's recent slump. He said: "It's a shame because nobody has been done anything at all since the Wokingham game. Training has been called off for the last two weeks and obviously the game at Woodley was postponed as well. And there is really no guarantee that the game on Boxing Day will go ahead either. There will be a pitch inspection, but I have played at Bisley before and it is one of those surfaces that can really cut up in wet conditions. We will just have to wait and see, but we are desperate to get back out there and get back on form."

Finch's recent slump has seen them tumble down the Hellenic One (East) table to 12th place, after a fine start that saw them record four wins from their opening seven games. That does, however, see them sitting just nine points behind fourth-placed Henley Town, something White believes shows the current strength in depth of the league. But he also knows that his side have left plenty of room for improvement in 2010. He said: "I think it is a competitive league, with some very good sides in there. But we can compete with all of the teams in this league. I thought Wokingham played the most attractive football against us, and Wayne Wanklyn said it was their best display of the season. Now if they have to play their best football and get a goal five minutes from the end to beat us 2-1, you have to take the positives from that. But we are sixth from bottom at the moment and that is not good enough. You can look at it another way and say we have played three games less than Rayners Lane, who are in fifth, and if we won all those we would be a point ahead of them. That is the best scenario though and it is something we have to address, starting either on Boxing Day or in the New Year."

Selby Doubt - 11th December

Steve Selby was forced off with a back injury during Finch's Cup defeat last weekend and is a doubt for tomorrow's Division One East local derby with Wokingham & Emmbrook.

Neil White has urged his Finchampstead side to show their character as they prepare for their derby clash with table-topping Wokingham & Emmbrook. Finch crashed out of a cup competition for the third straight weekend after slumping to a shock 4-2 defeat at Old Challoners last Saturday in the third round of the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup. White admits that another 'abysmal' display means they go into the clash with their local rivals at their lowest ebb of the campaign. But he said: "You would like to think that the prospect of a derby game might be just what the guys need after the last few weeks.
Though saying that, Wokingham & Emmbrook are by far the best team in the league so maybe we could have done with playing a team around us in the table. However, we will rally the troops and ask them to show a bit of character and desire. We will certainly be doing our best to turn things around."

Last weekend's clash with Amateur Football Combination side Challoners never promised to be smooth sailing, after the hosts changed venues at the last minute. That left Finch to cope with a poor pitch and facilities well below Hellenic League standard, but they would still have been expected to be the team to move into the last 16 of the competition. It left White bemoaning an afternoon that started badly and got worse from there. He said: "It was pretty abysmal all round. They changed venues at the last minute and we ended up playing on a very poor pitch that really didn't suit our game at all. But they showed far more desire and it was a fair result in the end. You can analyse the game all you want, but the performance was not good enough. And we also picked up a few injuries that is far from ideal when we have got to entertain the league leaders this weekend. But we have got to pick ourselves up because going out of three cup competitions in the space of three weekends is poor by anyone's standards."

One Step Beyond - 20th November

Neil White is hoping his Finchampstead side can go one step further than last year when they launch their Reading Senior Cup campaign this weekend.

Finch just missed out on a trip to the Madejski Stadium when they slipped to a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Woodley Town at the semi-final stage of the competition last season. White is hoping the carrot of a runout at the home of Reading FC will inspire his players ahead of this weekend's first round clash against Reading Senior Division strugglers Berks County Sports. He said: "We just missed out to Woodley last year, and I had a chat with their boss about it when we played them in the league a few weeks ago. He said the final was a great day and occasion,and that's really what the draw is for the players, the chance to play the final at the Madejski. The other thing is that we are on more of a level playing field with the other teams in the competition. When you look at something like the Hellenic Challenge Cup, it is not something we can realistically win. Although there are some good teams in the Reading Cup, it is more even and that probably makes it slightly more attractive."

Finch go into the game, for which captain Tom Hopper is expected to return, on the back of a five-match unbeaten run, following a 1-1 draw with high-flying Henley Town in Hellenic One (East) on Saturday.

Revenge? - 14th November

Neil White will be looking for revenge today as his side Fichampstead entertain title-chasing Henley Town.

Finchampstead slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Henley in early October in a game that saw Pat Selby miss a penalty and goalkeeper Perry Howard forced to leave the field with a nasty head injury.

White is hoping the memories of that difficult afternoon in Oxfordshire can spur his side to victory this weekend, although he acknowledges that his side will have to be at their best against one of the FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One East title favourites. He said: "Henley are a tough, strong side who will be up there at the end of the season. We've always done better away from home against them but they beat us 3-0 a few weeks back so we'll be looking for a bit of revenge. We're doing okay at the moment but I just feel there's a bit more in us. There are better performances to come from us and hopefully that can start this weekend."

Skipper Tom Hopper is the only absentee this weekend because of work commitments.

Dilemma - 6th November

Neil White admits he has been left with a selection dilemma after his Finchampstead side's superb 3-1 win over Highworth Town last weekend. Finch hit back after going a goal behind early in the game to see off their Premier Division visitors in the preliminary round of the Hellenic Challenge Cup.

What made the result all the more impressive was that White was missing three key players for the clash - top scorer Pat Selby, Sam Wyatt and Bob Yorke-Goldney. However, their replacements - debutant Junior Arquimbau, Steve Selby and two-goal hero Dean Thomas - all made impressive contributions to the win. The manager revealed that has left him with some tough decisions to make ahead of this weekend's Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup clash with Downley Albion.
White (pictured) explained: "We only had 13 this week, and that included Ian Needham who we have got from Henley Town and came on for the last 25 minutes. We were missing three big players who would all normally start and will probably be back for this weekend. But it was a really superb team performance last weekend and the guys who came into the team all did a great job. Junior was tremendous at right back, and Dean Thomas doesn't get much luck in front of goal but he put in a great performance. So it looks as though we could have 16 to choose from this weekend and it will certainly not be easy to have to disappoint a couple of them."

Finch play host to Aylesbury & District Premier Division side Downley in their second round County Cup clash tomorrow.
It is the visitors' first year in the intermediate competition after winning promotion to the top division last season.
Although they are only lying mid-table after their first six league games, White insists his side will be approaching the game in exactly the same manner as the clash with Highworth. He said: "We don't know lots about them, all we can do is look at their league position and results and go from there. We have just got to try and play the football we know we can and keep working hard. We create plenty of chances, so it is the same old story of us sticking them away. But this is always a good cup to make progress in so we are hoping to build on last weekend."

The win against Highworth sets up a first round clash with One (West) leaders Slimbridge in the next round of the Challenge Cup, a challenge a delighted White is already looking forward to. He said: "Slimbridge are looking a very strong team again as they have for the last few years. But the pressure will be off us as it was last weekend, and I think that was crucial. We told the guys they were underdogs for the game and to just go out and enjoy it. That helped them play the football we know they can, and they produced a really great team performance, it couldn't have gone better."

Tough Task - 31st October

Neil White admits his side faces a tough task as their attentions turn to cup competitions today, as Finch host FTL Futbol Hellenic Premier Division outfit Highworth Town in the Preliminary Round of the Bluefin Insurance Hellenic Challenge Cup.

It is the start of a run of knockout games for the Villagers, with just one league game scheduled to be played in November.
Whilst Finch will be hoping to challenge for honours in the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup and Reading Senior Cup, White knows that they face an uphill struggle in the Bluefin Insurance Cup. He explained: "It is a competition that Division One teams generally don't have much of a chance of winning. Highworth are obviously a very decent side. Already this season, they only just lost at Binfield and hammered Ascot so that tells you what sort of level they are playing at. We will have a few players missing as well, so it does give us a chance to have a look at a few new faces. It's always difficult against teams from the Premier because you have nothing to go on apart from their results or their league position. We have just got to make sure we are well-prepared, battle hard and do what we can."

White has seen a squad that looked at its strongest for many years hit hard by departures and injuries in recent weeks. Finch's task this weekend will not be made any easier by the likely absence of top scorer Pat Selby and Luke Axton-Hall. He admitted: "I looked at the squad at the start of the season and thought we had a strong group of 17 or 18. But at the moment we are only really having 14 available. Obviously the likes of Scott Bursill and Danny Isaiew have moved on, but now we're getting hit by injuries. Rob Yorke-Goldney is out for a bit with a groin injury, and Pat Selby picked up a bad dead leg last weekend. Luke Axton-Hall actually played with his jaw broken in two places. Full marks to him, but we eventually had to take him off because he was starting to feel it when he headed the ball. So you can see that we'll have to get a few in from the reserves this week."

Will Make Impact - 24th October

Neil White is expecting today's opponents, Woodley Town, to make a similar impact in the FTL Futbol Hellenic League as other recently promoted sides.

Berkshire rivals Woodley were promoted last season as champions of the Reading League. That route has proved successful many times in the past five years, with former champions Marlow United and Ascot United now established in the Hellenic Premier Division and Newbury finishing third in Division One (East) last year in their inaugural Hellenic League campaign. White, pictured, believes that pattern could continue with Woodley, and as such is under no illusions how tough this weekend's clash could be. He said: "Every Reading League side that has come up has done very well. It has always been a good training ground for the Hellenic League, if you do well there, you should do well when you move up.

"Woodley are no different and I think they could be like Marlow or Ascot and spend a year getting used to the division, before proving to be really strong. They beat us last season in the semi-finals of the Reading Senior Cup and I thought then that they were very useful, and they have strengthened since then. But they will cause us problems and I'm expecting it to be a very hard game."

White returned from a two-week absence at the weekend to see his side respond to back-to-back defeats at the hands of high-flyers Henley Town and Thame United with a comfortable 4-0 win at basement boys Prestwood. And a contented White said: "It's very easy to look at their record and paper and think you should win easily. But as they always say no one ever won a game on paper, or by assuming you are going to win. You have to go out, play well and earn the three points. They have turned a bit of a corner as their previous couple of results have shown, so I was pleased with how much of the game we had. It was an important win after a couple of unlucky defeats. We would have been pretty deflated if we had not got a win going on to play a strong team like Woodley, so it sets us up well for this weekend."

Not Taken Lightly - 17th October

Finch assistant boss Bobby Langridge insists his side will not be taking basement boys Prestwood lightly on their trip to Buckinghamshire this afternoon.

Today's clash presents the ideal opportunity for Finch to get back to winning ways after last weekend's 2-0 reverse to Thame United made it back-to-back defeats for the villagers. And after the challenge of taking on the only unbeaten side in Division One (East), Finch will face the opposite end of the spectrum this week.

Pointless Prestwood have lost all 11 league game this season, conceding 56 goals in the process. However, a revamped squad has improved somewhat in the last fortnight, with league leaders Wokingham & Emmbrook only running out 3-1 winners on Saturday. But Langridge, taking charge in the absence of Neil White, is urging his side to secure a much-needed win, while acknowledging the clash will not be as easy as it seems on paper. He said: "They have picked up recently and I have to say it's never easy over there as the pitch is not the best. We will certainly not be taking it lightly and we'll be taking the strongest team we can over there. But every win is crucial because the table is so tight at the moment and we need to get three points on the board on Saturday to stay towards the top of it."

On last weekend's game at Thame United Langridge commented "I think we were worth a point, but the little bits of luck aren't going our way. It's very frustrating. Thame are a good side and put us under pressure, but we had the chance to get back into the game with the penalty. Unfortunately for Pat Selby he hit it well, but he tends to go straight down the middle, and event though the keeper moved he got his hand up and pushed it away."

Can We Take It? - 10th October

Bobby Langridge is hoping Finchampstead can be the one to end the only unbeaten record in FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One East.

Finch host Thame United today, with the visitors boasting 16 points out of a possible 18 this season, including holding league leaders Wokingham & Emmbrook to a 0-0 draw last weekend. The "Villagers" went down to a 3-0 defeat at second-placed Henley Town on Saturday, after losing keeper Perry Howard to injury. But despite that, Langridge believes his team are still capable of beating anyone on their day, including Saturday's visitors.

He said: "They made a bad start last year, but improved over the second half of the season. We had a very tough game at their place which we drew and we thought they might be a decent side this year and that seems to be the way it's turned out. But we know that if we play well we are capable of beating anyone in this league and that includes Thame. It would be a great game to win as it would really keep us among it at the top, so that's what we will try and do."

Langridge, deputising for the absent Neil White, admits he does not yet know if keeper Howard will be available for the clash after his injury last weekend. Howard's injury just after the break was undoubtedly the turning point, as outfield player Adam Barnard was forced between the sticks as a makeshift goalkeeper. And despite his best efforts, he could not keep Henley at bay as they netted three times without reply to seal the points. The final scoreline flattered Henley, as Langridge was left to lament the injury to his keeper. He said: "I thought the scoreline was harsh really, it was certainly not a 3-0 game. I think the injury to Perry was the turning point, if we had kept our keeper we may have got something out of the game. That is no disrespect to Adam, who did very well. But when it comes down to it he is not a goalkeeper, and that makes a big difference. Perry has had it stitched up, hipefully he will be available for today."

Assistant Takes The Helm - 3rd October

Neil White is hoping his Finchampstead side can maintain their improved recent form under assistant Bobby Langridge (pictured) over the next two weeks.

Long-standing personal commitments mean White will not be on the sidelines for his team's next two games, with fellow top-six outfits Henley Town and Thame United. The games promise to be a true test of what Finch can hope for over the remainder of the season, and White admits he will be hanging on the end of the telephone to see how his men get on. He said: "It's bad timing in a way because I agreed a while ago for Bobby to take charge of these games due to my personal commitments. When I arranged it these weekends were down for cup games, so I did not think I would be missing any league games. But they will be two really hard games as Thame are unbeaten and Henley have carried their good form from the end of last season into this year. It will be a tall order, but hopefully the lads can show their quality and I'll certainly be waiting by the phone for the next two Saturdays."

Finch will go into the game without the services of Danny Isaiew (right) after the front man joined Division One (East) rivals Milton United. He had scored two goals this term to add to the 11 he netted last season. But White explained that his side's display last Saturday, when they beat AFC Corinthians 6-1 in the first round of the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup, showed they would be able to manage without the striker's services. He said: "With Danny we agreed that it was the right time for him to move on. We didn't see eye to eye over certain things and we knew Milton were interested so we wished him well, thanked him for his efforts for us and let him move on. We may look to bring someone in, but Pat Selby is scoring, Ben Knight is playing well and we had five different scorers on Saturday so it certainly shows there are goals in the team."

Last weekend's clash with Corinthians was a good deal tougher than the scoreline suggested, with Finch having to impose their superiority after the break following a stuttering first half display. Pat Selby's goal within a minute, and a second from Sam Wyatt after just 17 minutes seemed to suggest a comfortable afternoon at the office. But Nick Clarkson pulled one back for Corinthians midway through the first half, and with Finch missing several chances to extend their lead the game still hung in the balance at half-time. Any nerves were settled with three goals in the space of six second half minutes, however, as Bob Yorke-Goldney, Wyatt and Knight made it 5-1 by the 63rd minute. And the scoring was completed by Steve Ryan two minutes from time, leaving White to praise the way his side knuckled down in the second half. He said: "We took our foot off the gas when we went two-up because we thought it would be a cricket score. That let them back into it. So I told them at half-time that you don't beat teams like this by being ill-disciplined and running all over the place. And to be fair they responded, worked hard and shared the goals around which was all pleasing to see."

Finch Look Forward to The Season - 8th August

Finchampstead has now completed its first team pre-season matches and is confidently looking forward to its FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One East programme, which starts with a visit to Newbury on Tuesday evening (6.30pm kick-off).
 
The club’s pre-season has gone well. They fielded a squad of new players, supported by some of last season’s regulars, in its opening match on July 14th against Combined Counties Football League Division One club Eversley.  Pat Selby (left)scored both Finch goals in a match that finished 3-2 in Eversley’s favour, with the winner coming with literally the last kick of the match. 

On July 18th they travelled to Reading Football League Senior Division club Taplow United, winning 3-1 with Bobby Hogg (right), Ben Knight and Sam Wyatt the Finch scorers.  July 21st saw Hellenic League Premier Division Reading Town as the next opponent’s, drawing 1-1 with Pat Selby the Finch goal scorer. Next a mixed squad of potential first and reserve team players travelled to Letcombe on July 25th, with the hosts winning 2-0. July 28th saw Finch entertained by Combined Counties Football League Premier Division club Hartley Wintney where they recorded a 2-1 win, with Bobby Hogg and Danny Isaiew the Finch scorers.  Hellenic League Premier Division club Wantage Town was the next host on August 1st where Finch drew 1-1, with Bobby Hogg the Finch scorer.  The final first team squad match was on August 5th against Combined Counties Football League Premier Division club Camberley Town which Finch won 2-1, with Bobby Hogg and Andy Newcombe the club’s scorers.

Finch Looking For New Manager - 6th August

Finchampstead Football Club is looking for a manager for it’s Under 21 ''A'' team, which competes in the Reading Football League Division Two. Supported by senior players, the successful side is mainly used to provide senior football experience to young players as they progress into mens football from the club’s youth teams. The manager will have an excellent back-up team to work with in this role. This is a great opportunity to join the team management structure of a senior local club.

Anyone interested in this position should contact club president Richard Whitchurch-Bennett on 07740 283210 for further details.